What You Need to Know About IPA or Lager Beers
“For the average beer drinker, the difference between an IPA and a lager comes down to how the beer looks, smells, and tastes”
What You Need To Know About IPA’s
To start IPA is short for India Pale Ale
Ales are brewed with a top fermenting yeast that operates at warmer temperatures (around 55-77°F, usually).
Ales take less time to ferment compared to lagers. As a result, this provides a stronger taste.
Some IPA History
IPA was created during the British invasion of India. To make sure their ales wouldn’t go bad during the long ship ride for exportation to British citizens living in India, brewing companies began to put in extra alcohol and ingredients such as hops.
Session: Less alcohol! Which may or may not be a good thing, depending on your lifestyle. Modern session IPAs usually fall below 5% ABV (although historically, the style is 4% and below). With lower alcohol comes a thinner body, so these are the types of beers you can drink on repeat.
Double/Imperial: Double and imperial IPAs are essentially the same thing: IPAs with a higher hop concentration. To balance all that hop flavor, the brewer uses more malt, which results in a higher ABV (usually over 7%). It’s an IPA on steroids, and in the stoic words of Dave Chappelle (as Samuel L. Jackson), “This shit’ll getcha drunk!”
What You Need To Know About Lagers
Lagers are by far the most popular beer.
Lager beer uses a process of cool fermentation, followed by maturation in cold storage. The German word “Lager” means storeroom or warehouse. The yeast generally used with lager brewing is Saccharomyces pastorianus. It is a close relative of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast used for warm fermented ales.
All of those beers you think of as “national” brands — Heineken, Tsing Tao, Sapporo, Kingfisher, Budweiser to name just a few — those are all lagers.
Lagers are brewed using bottom-fermenting strains of yeast held at colder temperatures (around 40-52°F)
Heineken is an example of a pale Lager which is one of the most popular lager types.
I hope this answer your questions about IPA’S and Lagers. We will be keeping this post updated so check back every now and again.
- Published in Beverage Catering, Tips & Tricks
The Science behind Beverage Catering
Beverage catering is the servicing of drinks such as beer, wine, soda, spirits and coffee during events. Most times beverage catering involves bartending and the setup of the bar. Along with this the beverage catering company will do the purchasing of the beverage for the client and will have set packages.
Important note, in the state of Colorado all bartenders must be tip certified and a responsible vendor license. In fact, here are some things you should know about the science behind beverage catering:
What are the 5 Core Spirits?
The five core spirits are the basic liquors of a bartender. These are vodka, gin, whiskey, rum, and tequila.
- Vodka – this Russian spirit can be taken on the rocks but is frequently used in different kinds of cocktails like martinis and cosmopolitans. You can also serve this as a cold shot too.
- Gin – Gin is liquor which derives its predominant flavour from juniper berries. Gin is one of the broadest categories of spirits, all of various origins, styles, and flavour profiles that revolve around juniper as a common ingredient.
- Whiskey – a spirit distilled from malted grain, especially barley or rye.
- Rum – a distilled alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane byproducts, such as molasses or honeys, or directly from sugarcane juice, by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak barrels.
- Tequila – is a regional distilled beverage and type of alcoholic drink made from the blue agave plant.
How do You know how much alcohol to buy for an event?
There are various tools online that will tell you how much alcohol you have to bring to your event. But generally, it will depend on the following factors:
- Number of guests
- Duration of event
- Is the bar open?
- When the bar will open
- When the bar will close
Normally your guest will have 2 drinks during the first hour and an additional drink for every additional hour they attend your event.
In general you should buy more vodka than any other drinks, unless you know what your guest likes or are doing a themed event that called for a certain type of drinks.
How many bartenders should I have?
The ideal scenario is that you have 1 bartender for every 50 to 75 guests. But generally, the advice is that you will need a second bartender if you have about 75 to 150 guests for a basic but limited bar.
If, however, you have a full bar with different mixed drinks, you should definitely try to follow the 1:50 ratio.
How do I set up the bar area?
Choose an area where there is a good flow of people pas the cocktail bar and into the standing or seating areas
- Spot for Ice and buckets in middle or in convenient place
- Spirits go to the right
- Left side have your mixers
- Have your wines on ice in a bucket
- Beer in a cooler chilling (at least one hour before) or pre chilled
- Backup drinks and cups on back tables
If you need Beverage Catering fro you next event and have question please contact us
- Published in Beverage Catering, Event Rentals, Event Services
How to Host a Summer Party Guide
Summer is here and the temperature is rising.
Flare up the temperature some more by hosting your own awesome summer party.
If you haven’t hosted any summer party in the past, don’t worry.
Here’s a guide that will make it easier for you to throw a cool summer party not only for friends and family, but a party where strangers will be paying admission to get to.
Hire a catering company to drop off or get a food truck to come.
Number one on the list is food. But if you are going to host a large crowd, it might be better off if you would just hire a professional catering company.
Preparing the food yourself will just eat up all your time that is better used in organizing the event itself. Besides, you think you are saving money by cooking the food by yourself, but for large groups, you might be surprised that the cost of hiring caterers is not that far off from the cost of doing it yourself.
Another option, aside from hiring a catering company, is to get a food truck to come to your event. It will be a cool factor thrown into your summer party.
Anticipation is everything. Build an event website to get registration and have a designer create a flyer.
All your efforts will be for naught if you are not able to get people to go to your event. The best way to do that is to market your party extensively.
One way to effectively do it is to build an event website to get registration. The site will also include all the details of your summer party including the date, location, itinerary, and line up of guests and performers.
Use the website as the center of your marketing campaigns. Extensively promote it on social media, go as far as boost your posts through paid ads.
You can also delve into traditional marketing. Have a designer create a cool flyer that also indicates your website. Pass it around town.
Rent an open-air photo booth
I always say that the photo booth is the ultimate rental for any event, summer parties are not an exception.
And you know what’s better than a photo booth? And open-air photobooth. Yup no walls. A photobooth where everyone sees how everyone poses.
It is a fun way to get everybody involved in the event. It’s a souvenir for your guests too.
Hire local DJ with sound system
There will be lull moments during your summer party. A DJ can fill those silent moments with groovy music.
Your DJ can also be one of the performers. Ask your DJ to play a killer set for you.
And once all the performers are done, your DJ can take control and get everyone to dance through the summer heat.
Rent Tables and chairs with table linen
Your party is about summer so it is important that your tables, chairs and other decors reflect that.
Make sure that the linen used on the tables matches the color and theme of your event.
If not, your guests will surely notice that the décor is just an afterthought.
Get a bartender to serve mixed drinks and signature cocktails
What kind of summer party doesn’t have alcohol? Make sure that you rent a bar or have a beverage caterer to take care of the drinks during your summer party.
Coordinate with your beverage caterer about the types of mixed drinks that will be available. You can even concoct your own signature cocktail so that it will be identified to your event.
These are just some simple things you can follow if you want to organize a kickass summer party. It will take some time and effort, but it will be worth it.
- Published in Tips & Tricks, Beverage Catering, Catering, Denver Food Trucks, Event Rentals, Food Trucks, Photo Booth Rentals
Beverage Catering Estimator
- Published in Beverage Catering